Anchor for aircraft or the like



March 15, 1955 H. G. YOUNG 2,704,139

ANCHOR FOR AIRCRAFT OR TPE LIKE Filed oct. 7. 1952 INVENTOR BY V92/)wwATTOR Y Horace G. YO ung.

United States Patent O ANCHOR FOR AIRCRAFT R THE LIKE Horace G. Young,Sioux Falls, S. Dak., assignor to Neal Baker, Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

Application October 7, 1952, Serial No. 313,479

1 Claim. (ci. 1259-92) The invention herein presents an anchor usefulfor many purposes being devised to be especially useful for fasteningdown aircraft.

The object of the invention is to provide a retrievable anchor capableof repeated use to fasten down aircraft, or other objects, which will beof new, simple, inexpensive, satisfactory, eicient and improvedconstruction.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an anchor made according to theinvention as when applied to use;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the anchor;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary edge elevational view of said anchor on thescale of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken on line 5 5 inFig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding generally with the disclosure of Fig. 5but showing parts in different positions.

Speaking generally, the anchor consists of a lower unit including awedge-shape-and-pointed member 10 to be driven into the ground, and anupper unit constituted as a shank 11 rotatably mounted upon the lowerunit and integrally or rigidly supporting a handle 12 at the upper endof the shank and oppositely extending retaining members or wings 13 atthe lower end of said shank.

The wedge-shape-and-pointed member 10 is hollow as disclosed. Itconsists of first and second pieces, denoted 14 and 15, respectively,which are generally triangular in outline and curvilinear in directiontransversely of the shank 11. The first and second pieces 14 and 15 arejoined, as by welding, at their opposite side edges, denoted 16 and 17,respectively, and meet at their lower apices to provide a point 18 atthe lower apex of the wedge-shape-and-pointed member 10. Upper portionsof the first and second pieces 14 and 1a, or portions of said first andsecond pieces spaced farther from the point 18, curve outwardly fromeach other at and adjacent to their midwidths in such manner that saidwedge-shape-and-pointed member is of gradually increasing thickness frombottom toward top and of greatest thickness at the upper straight endsor edges of the first and second pieces 14 and 15. As disclosed, thewelded together, or otherwise secured, side edges 16 and 17 of the firstand second pieces 14 and 15 are relatively disposed to provide a 60degree angle at the point or apex 18 where said side edges meet. Saidstraight upper ends or edges of the first and second pieces 14 and 15are interconnected by a transverse wall 19 which spans the distancebetween the side edges 16 and 17.

A first rigid strap 20 extends upwardly and inward ly from a portion ofthe upper end or edge of the first piece 14 adjacent the edge 17, asecond rigid strap 2-1 extends upwardly and inwardly from a portion ofthe upper end or edge of the second piece adjacent the edge 16, and thestraps and 21 integrally or rigidly support a bearing member 22 situatedabove and in spaced relation to the transverse wall 19 and disposedaxially of the wedge-shape-and-pointed member 10 and its point 18.

The shank 11 is hollow. Its lower end portion is fixedly secured, as at23, to a stud 24, within said shank b etween the retaining members orwings 13. A por tion of. said stud projecting from the lower end of theshank is rotatably mounted, as at 25, in the transverse wall 19, and ahead 26 upon the stud 24 and in proximate relation to' an interior orlower surface of said transverse wall is for precluding movement of theshank 11 in direction away from the wedge-shape-and-pointed member 10.The retaining'members or wings 13 are 1n proximate relation to anexterior or upper surface of the transverse wall 19 when the stud '24 isassembled with said transverse wall. A lower portion of the shank 11yadjacent said retaining members orx wings 13 and stud 24 is rotatablymounted in the bearing member 22, and the construction and arrangementare such that when the lower and upper units of the anchor areassembled, said shank 11 is in perpendicular relation to the transversewall 19 and in axial alinement with the wedge-shape-and-pointed member10 and its point 18.

The retaining members or wings 13 are of duplicate construction, andeach is parallel to the `transverse wall 19 and perpendicular to theshank 11. And said retaining members or wings lie in a single plane.Each retaining member or Wing is constituted as a fiat, tapering stripof rigid material which is integral or rigid with the shank 11 andextends radially outwardly therefrom.

The rigid straps 20, 21, the bearing member 22, the retaining members orwings 13 when inoperative position and the shank 11 are all within theconfines of planes extended upwardly from midwidth portions of theexternal surfaces of the first and second pieces 14 and 15 in parallelrelation to said shank 11 and to each other, thus to offer no obstacleto insertion of the wedge-shape-and-pointed member' 10 into the ground.

The construction and arrangement are such that the upper unit can berotated with respect to the lower unit selectively to situate theretaining members or wings 13 in alinement with the transverse wall 19longitudinally of the shank 11 and engaged against the rigid straps 20and 21, as in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, or in right angular relation to thewedge 10 and said transverse wall to project beyond the opposite sidesurfaces of said wedge, as in Figs. l and 6.

A cable attached to the handle 12, for fastening down an aircraft, orother object, is represented at 27.

The manner in which the anchor is to be used will be apparent. With thelower and upper units of said anchor relatively situated as in Figs. r2to 5, the handle 12 will be manually grasped andthewedgeshape-and-pointed member 10, together with a portion of the shank11, will be forced into the ground. Then said handle will be manuallyturned to rotate said shank lo cause the retaining members or wings 13to project from the wedge-shape-and-pointed member 10, as in Figs. 1 and6, and become imbedded in the ground at opposite sides of saidwedge-shape-and-pointed member, as in said Fig. l. The anchor can bereadily and easily driven into and removed fromithe ground when theretaining members or wings 13'- are longitudinally alined with thewedge-shapeand-pointed member 10. Said anchor will be firmly fasteneddown partially underground when said retaining members or wings areimbedded in the earth at locations beyond the opposite side surfaces ofsaid wedge-shape-andpointed member. Evidently, the upper unit of theanchor can be readily and easily rotated from position relative to thelower unit as in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 to position relative to said lowerunit as in Figs. 1 and 6, and vice versa, while thewedge-shape-and-pointed member is inserted. When the anchor is to beremoved from the ground, the upper unit will be rotated from itsposition as in Figs. l and 6 to its position as in Figs. 2 to 5. Stateddifferently, when the anchor is to be put to use, thewedge-shape-and-pointed member 10, together with a portion of the shaft11, will be pushed into the ground and then said shank will be rotatedto cause the retaining members or wings 13 to project underground atopposite sides of the wedgeshape-and-pointed member. retrieved, theshank 11 will be rotated to cause the retaining members or wings 13 tobe moved back to position within the confines of saidwedge-shape-andpointed member.

What is claimed is:

An anchor comprising a lower unit including a hollow wedge having apoint, and a transverse upper Wall removed from the point of the wedge,spaced apart wings extending upwardly above said transverse wall, theupper ends of said spaced wings having a bearing formed thereon, anupper unit consisting of a shank having a handle on its upper portionthereof and di- When the anchor is to be vergent retaining wings on itslower end, said shank being mounted in the bearing formed on the lowerwedge unit, said retaining wings being concealed over the transversewall of the wedge in one position, said handle on the shank of the upperunit constituting means for projecting the retaining wings to a positionwhere said retaining wings project beyond opposite side surfaces of saidwedge.

Simpson July 2S, 1911 Scott June 3, 1941

